Zoo Biology is an engaging and comprehensive undergraduate course designed to explore the fascinating world of wildlife biology and the intricate relationships between animals, their environments, and conservation efforts within zoological settings. This course delves into the core principles of animal biology, behavior, and management, providing students with a strong foundation in the specialized field of zoo science.
You will participate in this course using the UNO Canvas learning management platform. Once on the platform, you can learn how to use Canvas effectively by clicking the “Help” link on the top right of the course page on Canvas.
| Learning Objectives | |
| Level | Students will be able to... |
|---|---|
| Remember | Identify and recall key concepts and terminology related to zoo biology, such as taxonomic classifications, animal behavior terms, and basic biological principles. |
| Understand | Explain the fundamental theories and principles of zoo biology, including the importance of biodiversity conservation and the role of zoos in wildlife conservation efforts. |
| Apply | Apply their knowledge of zoo biology to analyze and solve real-world problems related to animal care, exhibit design, and wildlife conservation strategies within a controlled zoo environment. |
| Analyze | Evaluate the ethical and practical considerations involved in managing zoo populations, critically assess the impact of human activities on animal habitats, and propose evidence-based solutions for enhancing animal welfare and conservation efforts. |
| Summary of Required Course Materials | ||
| Resources | How to access or get help... | |
|---|---|---|
| Journals | I will post pdf files to this link and canvas. | |
| Canvas | You must review Canvas regularly. For technical support, please use Canvas Student Support.1 | |
| Course Website | I maintain a dynamic schedule and other materials through my lab's github site. These materials update automatically to their linked page on canvas. | |
| 1 There is live chat-based support for students available online, or you may call the hotline +1-844-691-2290 instead. | ||
| Current Schedule for Zoo Biology - Spring 2025 | ||||
| Day and Time | Format | Agenda | Assigned Reading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 - Foundations | ||||
| Mon, 1/20 1:00 PM | Lecture | No Class | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Tue, 1/21 1:00 PM | Lab | No Class | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 1/22 1:00 PM | Lecture | Intro to the Course | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 2 - Foundations | ||||
| Mon, 1/27 1:00 PM | Lecture | Institutions and Oversight | In Defense of Zoos and Aquariums: The Ethical Basis for Keeping Wild Animals in Captivity | Download PDF |
| Tue, 1/28 1:00 PM | Lab | Institutions and Oversight | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 1/29 1:00 PM | Lecture | Institutions and Oversight | Can zoos offer more than entertainment? | Download PDF |
| Week 3 - Conservation | ||||
| Mon, 2/3 1:00 PM | Lecture | Headstarting, Rescue, and Rehabilitation | The Role of Zoos and Aquariums in Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations | Download PDF |
| Tue, 2/4 1:00 PM | Lab | Headstarting, Rescue, and Rehabilitation | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 2/5 1:00 PM | Lecture | Assurance Populations | Developments in amphibian captive breedingand reintroduction programs | Download PDF |
| Week 4 - Conservation | ||||
| Mon, 2/10 1:00 PM | Lecture | Assurance Populations | Collection planning for the next 100 years: What will we commit to save in zoos and aquariums? | Download PDF |
| Tue, 2/11 1:00 PM | Lab | Assurance Populations | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 2/12 1:00 PM | Lecture | Exam | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 5 - Health | ||||
| Mon, 2/17 1:00 PM | Lecture | Demographics and Genetics | Expected demographic and genetic declines not found in most zoo and aquarium populations | Download PDF |
| Tue, 2/18 1:00 PM | Lab | Demographics and Genetics | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 2/19 1:00 PM | Lecture | Demographics and Genetics | Genomics‐informed captive breeding can reduce inbreeding depression and the genetic load in zoo populations | Download PDF |
| Week 6 - Health | ||||
| Mon, 2/24 1:00 PM | Lecture | Reproduction | Assisted reproductive technologies for endangered species conservation: developing sophisticated protocols with limited access to animals with unique reproductive mechanisms | Download PDF |
| Tue, 2/25 1:00 PM | Lab | Reproduction | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 2/26 1:00 PM | Lecture | Reproduction | DESLORELIN (SUPRELORIN®) USE IN NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS: TAXONOMIC SCOPE, DOSING, AND EFFICACY | Download PDF |
| Week 7 - Health | ||||
| Mon, 3/3 1:00 PM | Lecture | Medicine | Precision wildlife medicine: applications of the human-centred precision medicine revolution to species conservation | Download PDF |
| Tue, 3/4 1:00 PM | Lab | Medicine | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 3/5 1:00 PM | Lecture | Medicine | The Great Ape Heart Project | Download PDF |
| Week 8 - Health | ||||
| Mon, 3/10 1:00 PM | Lecture | Nutrition | Visual body condition scoring in zoo animals – composite, algorithm and overview approaches | Download PDF |
| Tue, 3/11 1:00 PM | Lab | Nutrition | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 3/12 1:00 PM | Lecture | Nutrition | The Provision of Browse and Its Impacts on the Health and Welfare of Animals at the Zoo: A Review | Download PDF |
| Week 9 - Health | ||||
| Mon, 3/17 1:00 PM | Lecture | No Class | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 9 - Other | ||||
| Tue, 3/18 1:00 PM | Lab | No Class | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 3/19 1:00 PM | Lecture | No Class | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 10 - Other | ||||
| Mon, 3/24 1:00 PM | Lecture | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Tue, 3/25 1:00 PM | Lab | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 3/26 1:00 PM | Lecture | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 11 - Other | ||||
| Mon, 3/31 1:00 PM | Lecture | Schedule Buffer | Differing animal welfare conceptions and what they mean for the future of zoos and aquariums, insights from an animal welfare audit | Download PDF |
| Tue, 4/1 1:00 PM | Lab | Schedule Buffer | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 11 - Behavior | ||||
| Wed, 4/2 1:00 PM | Lecture | Exam | Doing better for understudied species: Evaluation and improvement of a species-general animal welfare assessment tool for zoos | Download PDF |
| Week 12 - Behavior | ||||
| Mon, 4/7 1:00 PM | Lecture | Monitoring and Assessment | Choosing the Right Method: Reinforcement vs Punishment | Download PDF |
| Tue, 4/8 1:00 PM | Lab | Monitoring and Assessment | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 4/9 1:00 PM | Lecture | Monitoring and Assessment | The Art of ‘Active’ Training | Download PDF |
| Week 13 - Behavior | ||||
| Mon, 4/14 1:00 PM | Lecture | Training and Management | An evaluation of the role of ‘biological evidence’ in zoo and aquarium enrichment practices | Download PDF |
| Tue, 4/15 1:00 PM | Lab | Training and Management | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 4/16 1:00 PM | Lecture | Training and Management | In search of the optimal enrichment program for zoo‐housed animals | Download PDF |
| Week 14 - Behavior | ||||
| Mon, 4/21 1:00 PM | Lecture | Environmental Enrichment | When zoo visitors “connect” with a zoo animal, what does that mean? | Download PDF |
| Tue, 4/22 1:00 PM | Lab | Environmental Enrichment | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 4/23 1:00 PM | Lecture | Environmental Enrichment | Evaluating the contribution of zoos and aquariums to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 | Download PDF |
| Week 15 - Society | ||||
| Mon, 4/28 1:00 PM | Lecture | Community Engagement and Education | Access and Inclusion Go to the Zoo | Download PDF |
| Tue, 4/29 1:00 PM | Lab | Community Engagement and Education | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 4/30 1:00 PM | Lecture | Accessibility and Inclusion | A community-Based sensory Training Program leads to improved experience at a local Zoo for children with sensory challenges | Download PDF |
| Week 16 - Society | ||||
| Mon, 5/5 1:00 PM | Lecture | Public Policy and Advocacy | The value of zoos for species and society: The need for a new model. | Download PDF |
| Tue, 5/6 1:00 PM | Lab | Public Policy and Advocacy | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Wed, 5/7 1:00 PM | Lecture | Public Policy and Advocacy | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| Week 17 - Society | ||||
| Wed, 5/14 12:30 PM | Lecture | Exam | None or TBA | Download PDF |
| 1 Check back weekly, as I will update this online version as we adjust our pace and plans | ||||
All assignments are listed in the course schedule (above). Most will be assigned reading from academic journals, but you will also complete a series of laboratory exercises over the course of the semester. You will submit the exercise from each week by the start of the following lab.
Zoo Biology is an applied discipline that encompasses a much broader range of careers and expertise than most realize.
All assigned readings will come from journals and other online materials, and they are listed in the schedule below. We will use our class time to work together on some of the most important or challenging concepts, but this will not be a substitute for reading and studying the material on your own.
You should be prepared to answer quiz questions on anything from the assigned readings starting on the deadline listed in the schedule.
This is not an online or hybrid course. - I designed the curriculum and objectives specifically with that in mind, so to succeed you must attend and engage with every scheduled meeting. You will not pass this class if you are unable to attend and take your own notes.
Absences may only be truly excused if they have been registered through the Accessibility Services Center. Please do not provide me with any personal or medical details to explain your barriers to attendance or assignment completion. While I do care about accommodating these issues when they arise, I also care about your privacy and respect that office’s expertise in managing the conditions and complications that are outside of my purview. I do my best to integrate a reasonable and universal degree of flexibility into our schedule and assessment plan to accommodate some work/life balance while also ensuring equity and reasonable progress in your learning. I am happy to recieve requests and recommendations to help me update and improve this approach for everyone, but I will only create personalized accommodations by working directly with the ASC.
Please also know that I genuinely appreciate opportunities to work with and around student barriers by collaborating with the ASC. If you know that you are coming into the semester with learning barriers (e.g., neurodivergence, visual/auditory processing differences), I strongly encourage you to register this with their office and then communicate with me about the ways I can work this into my approach from the beginning.